Water Conservation

Customer Education Goal

To supply Melbourne Water Customers with the information they need to make wise water-use decisions.

Student Education Goal

To educate future customers, taxpayers and decision makers about conserving water and protecting our water resources, guiding their actions for years to come.

Teacher Education Goal

To reach a larger number of students on a more in-depth and effective level utilizing the skills and enthusiasm of local teachers.

Employee and Local Business Education Goal

To work with employees of the City of Melbourne and the employees of local businesses to promote water conservation.

Alliances and Partnership Goal

To form and cultivate alliances with other City of Melbourne departments and other municipal, state, federal and private institutions for joint projects and sources of funding.

Media and Public Information Goal

To utilize all forms of media to disseminate our water conservation message.

Irrigation Goal

To increase the area’s native plantings and reduce the potable water irrigation demand on the City’s water system.

Ordinances Goal

To update existing ordinances and enact new ordinances that aid in conserving our water resources.

There are a number of easy fixes we can all do that will save water, energy, and money.

 Fixing leaks and installing water-saving devices in your home could save tens of thousands of gallons of water each year.

Update Plumbing Fixtures and Save

 If your plumbing fixtures were installed in the early 1990s or before, you probably have fixtures that guzzle water.

 Replace old plumbing fixtures with WaterSense-labeled products. WaterSense fixtures undergo independent, third-party testing and certification to ensure they meet U.S. Environmental Protection Agency criteria for both efficiency and performance. Hundreds of WaterSense labeled bathroom sink faucets and accessories, showerheads, toilets, and urinals are available.

 By replacing the following six devices with water-conserving models, the average family (2.64 persons) could easily save 109,528 gallons of water per year!

•  Toilet: Gallons saved per person per year: 6,696. Melbourne water customers who change their old inefficient toilets to new WaterSense 1.28 gallon per flush toilets may be eligible for a $50 rebate.
•  Bathroom Faucet: Gallons saved per person per year: 3,285
•  Showerheads: Gallons saved per person per year: 14,600
•  Clothes Washer: Gallons saved per person per year: 8,395
•  Kitchen Faucet: Gallons saved per person per year: 8,212.5
•  Dishwasher: Gallons saved per person per year: 299.3

Save Water Outdoors

•  It takes about 660 gallons of water to supply 1,000 square feet of lawn with one inch of water. To save water, limit the amount of water per zone to ¾ inches.
•  A broken sprinkler head wastes approximately 300 gallons of water in an hour. Regularly inspect for leaks and broken or clogged spray heads.
•  Using an automatic shutoff nozzle on a hand-held hose can be expected to save an estimated 5 to 10% of water used outdoors.
•  Check your garden hose for leaks at its connection to the spigot. If it leaks while you run your hose, replace the nylon or rubber hose washer and ensure a tight connection to the spigot using pipe tape and a wrench.
•  To limit the amount of water used from your hose, sweep driveways, sidewalks and steps rather than hosing them off.
•  Install a rain shut-off device on your irrigation system.
•  Install a rain gauge in your yard to help determine your irrigation needs – aim for ¾ inch of water.
•  Set sprinklers to water the lawn and garden only – not the street or sidewalk. Install moisture sensors on your irrigation systems.
•  Follow outdoor irrigation rules. Check the Irrigation Schedule to see which days irrigation is allowed at your address. City of Melbourne only allows watering  before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m.
•  Use mulch around shrubs and plants to reduce evaporation from the soil surface and cut down on weed growth.
• Install a rain barrel to capture and store rainwater to water plants. Melbourne residents who install a new rain barrel may be eligible for a $50 rebate.
•  Use native plants in your landscaping to lessen or eliminate the need for irrigation.
•  Wash your car with water from a bucket, or consider using a commercial car wash that recycles water.
•  Consider purchasing a new water-saving swimming pool filter and use a pool cover to reduce evaporation when the pool is not being used. Between ½ - 1 inch of water normally evaporates per day. More than 1 inch would indicate a considerable amount of splash out or a leak.

Fix Leaks

• Leaks can account for, on average, 10,000 gallons of water wasted in the home every year, which is enough to fill an in-ground swimming pool. The amount of water leaked from U.S. homes could exceed more than 1 trillion gallons per year. That's equivalent to the annual water use of Los Angeles, Chicago, and Miami combined.
•  Common types of leaks found in the home include leaking toilet flappers, dripping faucets, and other leaking valves. All are easily correctable.
•  Fixing easily-corrected household water leaks can save homeowners more than 10 percent on their water bills.
•  Keep your home leak-free by repairing dripping faucets, toilet valves, and showerheads. In most cases, fixture replacement parts don't require a major investment and can be installed by do-it-yourselfers.
•  The vast majority of leaks can be eliminated after retrofitting a household with new WaterSense labeled fixtures and other high-efficiency appliances
•  Leaky faucets can be reduced by checking faucet washers and gaskets for wear and replacing them if necessary
•  Most leaky showerheads can be fixed by ensuring a tight connection using pipe tape and a wrench.
•  If your toilet is leaking, the cause is most often an old, faulty toilet flapper. Over time, this inexpensive rubber part decays, or minerals build up on it. It's usually best to replace the whole rubber flapper—a relatively easy, inexpensive do-it-yourself project that pays for itself in no time.

Check for Leaks

Use the guidelines below to determine if water is leaking somewhere on your property. Repairs of leaks on the property owner's side of the water meter are the responsibility of the property owner. If you do establish that you have had a leak, you may qualify for a credit on the sewer portion of your bill.

1.  Be sure no water is being used while you perform this test.
2.  Locate the meter and record the meter reading.
3.  Take a few moments and observe the meter. Neither red dial should be moving. If either dial is moving, water is flowing through the meter.
4.  Do not run any water for at least a two hour period. Then recheck the meter reading and record. The reading should be the same. If the meter has moved, this suggests a possible leak.

 To check if a toilet is leaking:

1.  Pour a colored liquid (such as old coffee, food coloring or colored cleaning product) into the tank portion of the toilet.
2.  Allow the color to sit for 30 minutes. If the color seeps into the bowl of the toilet, that may indicate that the flapper is not sealing properly and may need to be replaced.
3.  Perform this test several times over the course of several days. 

The City of Melbourne continues to stress the importance of using resources wisely. There is much that can be done to conserve our essential resources. Some companies hold environmental fairs for their employees. Many local organizations are more than willing to participate in these outreach events. Following are many more ideas your company can use to promote and practice environmental stewardship.

Make a commitment to water conservation 

Prior experiences have revealed that for any program to be successful, the desire to conserve water must be present from the highest level of management on down. Upper management should understand that water conservation is necessary and be fully committed to its support. 

Appoint a conservation champion 

Companies that assign responsibility to an individual have better results than those that do not. Give someone within your organization responsibility for creating and implementing and maintaining your water conservation program. 

Determine how and where you use water

Know how much water is being used for each of your organization’s industrial processes and/or domestic needs. To assist you in determining how your on-site water is being used, you may want to install sub-meters. 

Learn about conserving water in the business environment 

Learn from businesses that have already established a water conservation plan. However, it is up to you to apply these suggestions to your particular situation in arriving at ways to reduce your water consumption. 

Check your system for leaks 

Leaks can be detected by having a periodic shutdown of all water-using facilities and reading the water meter at intervals of the shutdown. If the dial or numbers on the meter move, then you have a leak somewhere on your facility. If a leak is located, repair it as soon as possible.